It was reported last month that Sprint and T-Mobile were close to coming to a tentative agreement for a merger, but now the two companies are looking at a delay. While Sprint and T-Mobile had hoped to announce a deal during earnings calls at the end of the month, Bloomberg reports that the deal is likely delayed…
The report explains that despite efforts to complete a deal in time for earnings, it now seems unlikely that will happen. The announcement will likely be pushed back into mid or late November. Another possibility is the two companies will delay their quarterly reporting dates to allow for an announcement of the deal.
A report earlier this month explained that T-Mobile and Sprint won’t sell off assets ahead of the merger. This means the two companies will enter negotiations with U.S. regulators without having made any prior concessions.
Talks with U.S. regulators are expected to be tense for T-Mobile and AT&T. Back in 2011, AT&T attempted to acquire T-Mobile but faced scrutiny from regulators who claimed the cellular industry needs four major competitors. The deal ended up falling apart.
Then, in 2014, Sprint gave up its plans to acquire T-Mobile due to regulatory concerns, but the two companies seem to think things are different this time around.
The important thing to note here is that while T-Mobile and Sprint may come to terms, the fate of the deal largely depends on United States regulators.
